| Course | MSW 543 Social Work Practice - Engagement |
|---|---|
| Week | 7 |
| Paper type | Welcome call script |
| Length | About 470 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Chamberlain University |
| Program | Master of Social Work (MSW) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MSW 543 Week 7
Welcome Call Script for New Adult Referrals at an Outpatient Counseling Agency: Who Is Calling First, Permission With an Alternative, Branches Written in Words, the Voicemail Written Out and One Next Thing With an Easy No
Student Name
Chamberlain University
MSW 543: Social Work Practice - Engagement
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Welcome Call Script for New Adult Referrals at an Outpatient Counseling Agency: Who Is Calling First, Permission With an Alternative, Branches Written in Words, the Voicemail Written Out and One Next Thing With an Easy No
Opening
"Hi, this is [first name], a counselor with the [agency] counseling center. Your doctor sent us a note saying you might like some help. Is now an okay time for a five-minute call, or is there a better time?"
If Now Is Not Good
"No problem. What time works better, and is it okay if I call back then?" Record the time. End the call.
If Now Is Okay
"Great. First, I want to say this is your choice. We can set up a first visit, or I can send you some information, or you can think about it and call us. Which sounds best?"
Branch: They Want an Appointment
"The first visit is about an hour. We talk about what's going on and what you'd like help with. We have times on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30, or Monday mornings. Which works?" Then: "Is there anything that would make it hard to get here?"
Branch: They Are Unsure
"That's completely fine. Can I tell you what the first visit is like, and you can decide after?" Then describe it. "Would you like me to call you back in a week, or would you rather call us?"
If the person asks a question the caller cannot answer, such as about cost with a particular insurer, say, "I'll find out and call you back by tomorrow," and do it. An unanswered question becomes a reason not to come.
Branch: They Say No
"Thank you for letting me know. If anything changes, our number is [number]. Take care." Record the decline. Do not call again unless the person asks.
Voicemail, Written Out
"Hi, this is [first name] from the counseling center returning a referral from your doctor's office. You can call us at [number] any weekday until 7. There's no pressure, and this is a private line." Do not mention the reason for the referral.
Why This Shape
Phone contact before a first appointment, with attention to barriers, has been associated with more people attending their first visit (McKay et al., 1996). The easy no matters as much: a person who feels free to decline is more likely to return later.
Recording the Call
Date, time, outcome, appointment if made, barriers named and who will make the next contact.
References
McKay, M. M., McCadam, K., & Gonzales, J. J. (1996). Addressing the barriers to mental health services for inner city children and their caretakers. Community Mental Health Journal, 32(4), 353-361. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02249453
What the MSW 543 Week 7 assignment asks for
The welcome call script gives the caller actual words, not topics. Say who is calling and why in the first sentence. Ask permission to talk, with an alternative time if now is not good. Write branches for the main responses, such as yes, unsure and no, each with words. Write out the voicemail message, protecting privacy by leaving out the reason for referral. Offer one next thing and make it easy to say no. Say what to record after the call. The call should be short, usually under five minutes. A welcome call is social work: it is engagement at the first point of contact.
How this MSW 543 Week 7 example is built
The opening line names the caller, the agency, the referring doctor and asks whether now is good. A branch handles a better time. The main branch offers three options: an appointment, information or calling later. The appointment branch gives times and asks about barriers. The unsure branch offers a description and a choice of callback. The no branch thanks the person and records the decline. The voicemail is written word for word without the referral reason. A rationale section cites McKay et al. (1996) on telephone contact before first appointments. The close lists what to record. A recording section lists date, time, outcome, barriers and who makes the next contact.
MSW 543 Week 7 rubric: what full points look like
Faculty grade the script on whether a new caller could use it as written. A script that lists topics, such as explain services, loses the most. Credit goes to an opening that answers who and why, permission with an alternative, branches with words and a private voicemail. Making the next step easy to decline earns marks, as does recording what happened. A source supporting the approach strengthens the rationale and should be cited in APA. The call should be brief. Faculty also look at whether the script avoids pressure, since a person who feels free to say no may return later. Telling the caller what to do when they do not know an answer, and when to call back, shows the script was tested against real questions.
MSW 543 Week 7 help: mistakes that cost points
Scripts most often lose points by giving a list of things to cover instead of words. Another frequent problem is a voicemail that names the reason for referral, which risks privacy. Some scripts have no branch for a no, so the caller improvises pressure. Others never say what to record. If your agency serves a different group, perhaps parents of young children or older adults, adjust the times and words but keep the branches. A script built this way will let any intern make the call the same way on the first day. Role-play the script with a classmate who plays a doubtful caller, then rewrite any line that drew a pause.
Get a MSW-543 Week 7 example written to your instructions
Send the Week 7 instructions with the referral or scenario your classroom supplies and any script template it issues, and a custom example is written into that format and returned inside 24 to 48 hours. The first one is free. Say which branches your rubric names and every one of them comes back with words in it.
More MSW 543 papers and MSW samples
- MSW 543 Week 1: Front Desk Sign Engagement Post
- MSW 543 Week 2: First Contact Log
- MSW 543 Week 3: Opening Session Transcript
- MSW 543 Week 4: Rapport Breakdown Analysis
- MSW 543 Week 5: Reluctant Client Write-Up
- MSW 543 Week 6: Engagement Barrier Map
- MSW 543 Week 8: No-show Outreach Note
- MSW 544 Week 7: Strengths and Needs Grid
- MSW 542 Week 7: Supervision Consultation Write-Up
- MSW 545 Week 7: Service Linkage Plan
- MSW 541 Week 7: Bus Route Generalist Practice Map
MSW 543 Week 7 questions, answered
How long should the call be?
Short enough that nobody has to end it. Most rubrics here are less interested in duration than in whether the script survives being interrupted, so build the branches first and let the length settle around them. A script running four minutes with no interruption planned scores below one running ninety seconds that handles three.
What can a message actually say?
Less than students assume. A name and a number to call back is usually the safe floor, and anything naming the service or the reason risks telling a household something the person has not shared. Write the restricted version as your default and note in the rationale what would let you say more.
Is a welcome call really social work?
It is the part of the work deciding whether any of the rest happens. Attendance at a first meeting moves with what was said on the phone beforehand, and the call is where somebody first hears a person rather than a letter. Rubrics treat it as practice, and they mark the wording as practice too.
Where can I find a free MSW 543 Week 7 sample paper?
The complete MSW 543 Week 7 welcome call script, branches and voicemail written out word for word, follows the summary above.
What does the voicemail leave out in the MSW 543 Week 7 sample?
The reason for the referral, so that someone else hearing the message learns only that the counseling center returned a call from the doctor's office.